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Friday, June 29, 2012

The Performance of Our Life

 












The more love we feel for ourselves, the more we allow the creative energy of the Universe to flow through us.  

Since how we see and feel about ourselves is how we see and feel about other people, feeling more love for ourselves is the most mutually 
supportive focus we can have.
                                                                                     Arnold Patent                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         


This very interesting quote reminds me of a favorite saying of mine... 

You can't give what you ain't got.
 
And it's a physical reality.

Even if we aspire to be loving toward others, we won't be able to give that loving, generous, thoughtful attention and energy  to others if we don't feel that way about ourselves.

 

And here's a big part of the reason why this is so.


There's a very popular character who tends to show up quite often in our life, perch on our shoulder and stream into our consciousness.  That character's name is the VOICE OF JUDGMENT.  

And he is a very busy fellow indeed.  He waits for us to make a misstep and then jumps right into that opening with a litany of how we have screwed up once again. 


Now the next thing I am going to say might sound strange to you. 

This character needs to be paid attention to...

but not in the way we usually do this.

Not by shrinking our self-esteem and cowering under his words.   Not that way. 

We need a DIFFERENT approach. 


We need to give this annoying voice ALL of the air time and space he needs.  Let him get it all out.  

Embrace the message.  

Literally BECOME the character...as if we are on stage and this is The Performance of Our Life.



When we really commit to this, an interesting thing happens.  Some PERSPECTIVE begins to enter the picture. 

While we are being "the voice of judgment" with primal passion and conviction and and living it to the nines, there is a part of us that can clearly see this character is over-the-top with his lengthy list of our wrongdoings and failures. 

And we begin to feel some compassion for this character who has lost touch with the big picture...the truly authentic picture that embraces our humanity, our occasional missteps and less than beneficial choices and that encourages us and supports us on our journey and knows us to be the beautiful, loving spirit we are.

And when we begin to see the theatrical intensity of this diva voice...it is not long before we are sending love and compassion to this character who has lost his way and is tripping over some very heavy expectations that are sourced in the opinions of others who have influenced our life.
 

But now it is WE who are making the call and We Can See far beyond the limitations and restrictions of experiencing the blame game.


And by loving this voice, embracing its expression and extending it compassion, we are truly loving ourself, filling up the bounty of our soul so that this same loving view can spill over onto others,  empowering "the creative energy of the universe to flow through us."







image from digital-polyphony.com

quote by Arnold Patent courtesy of Houston Vetter, balancedlivingmagazine.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Game Changer










Accept that what other people do or say has absolutely nothing to do with you...absolutely nothing.

                    Ken Lauher








Hmmmmmmmm.  That's really a major GAME CHANGER, isn't it?

 
 Here's the logic behind this statement. 
What a  person says or does is a really an authentic expression of how he is being affected in this moment by the circumstances, influences and events of his life...and that is exactly what his message tells us. 

It's a state of the union kind of message.  And his reaction or response to these circumstances, influences and events is determining   
IF, WHEN, WHAT AND HOW 
his message will be delivered and how the events in which we interact with him will unfold.

This is a VERY important piece of information for us to have because this awareness can alter what his message FEELS LIKE to us.

 
WHAT IF every time someone spoke to us we viewed the encounter as a fascinating checkpoint of what is transpiring in this person's life?

 

The information we receive from the interaction would still be FOR us but in a much different way than we had expected. 


It would be information ABOUT the other person and that information (intellectual, emotional, etc.) would help us choose how we might wish to respond...what we say and in what manner we say it.   It would surely be signaling very clearly  whether the person has a need for compassion, support, understanding or assistance.

This would be a MAJOR SHIFT for us 

               from 
"what just happened to me" and "how that made me feel" 

                to 
"what can I observe about you and what you might need from me"
 

And while this process is going on we would still  be able to learn what we need to know...what is going to happen, is happening ...or not...BUT we would be learning it from a different perspective.  


It would be other directed...and possibly action oriented.  

Not only would it give us an opportunity to pay generous attention to someone else, the fact is that when we sense the emotional need of another and respond in a way that supports that need, our dialogue and conversations play out more smoothly and the other party feels gratitude for our caring and may even choose to respond to us in kind.

Being open to observing a person and learning about the space he is in would serve everyone well.  


In particular, we would no longer SUFFER from feeling hurt by the message itself or the way the message is delivered because we would know that the message is not an attack on us but rather  a behavioral transcript in this moment about the messenger himself.
 

Here is a place where Higher Self can offer us some BEAUTIFUL GUIDANCE as we exercise patience and show support, love and caring.



The question is:


Can we make this leap and view each person as a mystery...unfolding...and bless our role as witness to and supporter for that revelation?



 
 image from stushieart.com

Friday, June 22, 2012

Embracing the Shenpa


















All of us, in our essence, are Love

A big part of our healing journey is to embrace and, thereby, release the SHENPA (which is blocking the beautiful expression of that gift), opening the pathway for our true nature to reveal itself.
                  Ken Porter
                                           
                                                               
                                               

                                                        


EVERYBODY has experienced the very distinct sensation of being triggered by something upsetting...we feel a tension, a tightening in our emotions.  And it happens lightning fast.  And before we know it our default reaction has registered and been expressed.

In many (and I would venture to say most) cases that default is not so pretty.
 

One big example of the default is an
ADDICTION.

We feel stung by a remark or an event.  It hits a point of insecurity...or an emotional wound that we have not dealt with... and we immediately turn to our "comfort" of choice (and it's not something on the health and wellness list).


Or, we might become immediately defensive or respond to our perceived hurt by  "counterattacking".


And, when all is said and done and the dust has settled, we don't feel so great about our choice or outburst.   But we were feeling so very helpless;  everything seemed so out of our control... like the issue (read
TRIGGER
) took over our consciousness.

And that space...the very quick space of time after the trigger was activated... is 
the Tibetan concept of shenpa.  

It's the flash that occurs BEFORE we act.  It's the upsetting emotion.
 

And it's VERY powerful.  

Especially when we back away...literally RUN away from that HOOK and grab on to something that will calm our upset and anxiety.

It's the backing away that is the problem.  

We don't want to go there.  But that space...the shenpa...is the very place we NEED to go so that we can EMBRACE this mystery...this force which drives our behavior.
 
.
When we open ourselves to the shenpa...
when we embrace it and let ourselves feel what is happening inside us...
we begin to see what Pema Chodron, notable American figure in Tibetan Buddhism,  calls "the whole chain reaction".  

Chodron says that "somehow, learning how to open up the space without putting [any] particular form of scratching into the equation is important."

And that is when release occurs...when  we EMBRACE this uncomfortable feeling which, if unexamined, leads to unhealthy choices and  behavior.


Chodron (and Porter) believe
 
"there's some wisdom that is based on a fundamental desire for wholeness or healing- which has nothing to do with ego-grasping.  It has to do with wanting to connect and live from your basic goodness, your basic openness, your basic lack of prejudice, your basic lack of bias, your basic warmth. Wanting to live from that. It begins to become a stronger force than the shenpa and itself stops the chain reaction."
 

What we resist, persists.


What we embrace and experience reveals itself to us.


This act of courage..of bravely facing ourselves... seems resonant with what we have come here to do and I believe it helps us access the resources
we need for the work of our journey.

Now the shenpa doesn't feel so scary.  

And we are rewarded with a sense of perspective and can see the choices of response in our behavior available to us and the merits of those choices and we can more easily choose the response path of Higher Self, the self we aspire to be.  

And, in that moment, WE MEET THE SHENPA with the strength and power of our shared divinity.  And  Love once again becomes the instrument which comforts, soothes and sustains us.
 

image from elephantjournal.com. 

                                                                
   

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Up, Up and Away







Every thought you think sends out energy into the Universe.  

Positive, energetic thoughts will produce positive and energetic VIBRATIONS...and will lift your Spirit to where it belongs - Up!
                           
              Ulrike Maria Wilson 
                                                                      One of the coolest things about being multi-dimensional is the fact that we can engage in quantum gymnastics and use our power of thought to affect our vibrational level.
 
It's fairly simple. 


If we think positive, uplifting, generous thoughts we move into a SPACE OF GRACE AND BEAUTY where LOVE abounds and reaches out and envelops our life.

If we concentrate on what's wrong or unsatisfying, we lower our vibration, attracting MORE of what's wrong and unsatisfying.


Now why would we ever consciously choose 
to do that to ourselves?                                                            
               
And yet we do.



It's one of our favorite places to hang out when things go wrong and chaos looms on the horizon.  Somehow it seems satisfying to feel that we have been victimized.

The trouble is that after we are done complaining (which could take quite a while) we still feel like a victim.  Nothing has gotten any better and, to complicate things even more, we may have begun to enjoy placing blame and judgment on others and now  have sunk even further (vibrationally speaking) and are totally embracing our misery.

 

And ALL of this is unnecessary. 


It's nothing more than the consequence of a choice we have made in our thinking.
 

But we can choose to go to a different place in our thoughts. 


We can recognize that the Divine Universe is not dealing us a blow but rather is GIFTING US with an opportunity to recognize something about ourselves...something that needs our attention and that is NOT serving us well.

It's a "knock, knock....look over here. You're missing something."

 

Once we get how loved and cared for and supported we are, we can begin to see how our "adventures" are pointing us in the direction of our spiritual evolution.  And there is something for us in EVERY single thing we encounter.

 

I totally love to see the creativity and power of this beautiful energy.  It NEVER fails to awe and amaze me.  When I embrace my experiences...uncomfortable though they may be...distressing though they may be, I am NEVER disappointed with the outcome for I always learn a better, happier, more satisfying way to be in the world.

When this awareness becomes a part of our vision, it becomes easier to choose a higher vibrational thought such as ...What is the gift for me here in this moment?


It's actually fun, too, to consider the circumstances of an event,  figure out the clues and find whatever lesson is waiting for us.  (And fun, by the way, is another one of those high vibrations.)

 

It’s all a BEAUTIFUL EQUATION gifted to us by the Divine Universe…the glorious opportunity to  direct what comes into our life..

We can navigate our altitude by the beliefs we hold in our heart and power our vibrational level upwards by bypassing the third dimensional, ego driven reaction-of-the-moment and choosing the SOUL VIEW of what is happening instead.

 


image from kidclipart.net.    

Thursday, June 14, 2012

I Hear Your Heart



 
Our ears can hear the words that a person speaks  and also the inflection and nuance present in those words but there is something even more important for us to listen to...and that something is the message of his heart
  
This very special treasure is something we come to know over time and through experience and sometimes it is something we can sense about someone. 

 We are able to witness and perceive the glory of a person's heart when he is centered...peaceful...in his power.


But this is not always what is happening.


Sometimes the challenges and trials of earth school feel so great for someone that he reacts from his stress, fatigue or frustration and sometimes from his unhealed pain. 

 And his reaction in this moment could easily feel as if it is directed at you.


The message is really for his personal emotional space where he is attempting to navigate his reaction to a  painful trigger.  

The words he has blurted out are his first attempt to express his distress. 

The release has not yet taken the path of Higher Self and spiritual  evolution.  It is stuck on the first rung of (very human) expression. 

 And it may seem aimed at the closest available object and, in this case,  that object may be you.

This moment is such a blessed and holy opportunity to offer love and support to the person who is confronting an old trigger or pain or who is worn down by the stress he is experiencing in his life.   


We can do so much good at this moment by NOT listening to the words of release that appear to stumble out in our direction but by LISTENING INSTEAD TO THE PERSON'S HEART which we have already come to sense and know. 


As evidenced in his voice, inflection and words, the openness of his heart  has been temporarily blocked by the emotion of hurt or pain but we can choose love to help us access it while he undergoes what is essentially the first stages of self-confrontation. 

And  by choosing love we help set the stage for the work he has to do with the issue that has come up for his awareness, acceptance and release.

By affirming that WE KNOW what resides in his heart, we help him access that awareness himself....a step he must take to deal with the issue.


This is a unique opportunity waiting to be recognized.

What a beautiful gift we can give to this iñdividual...remembrance and awareness of his "Best Self" communicated to him with gentleness and caring...and in the moment when he most needs to feel that LOVE!



Image from thevectorart.com

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Courage of the Lion





There are so many lessons we can learn from watching the beautiful creatures of the earth.  

They operate purely from instinct and are not hampered by judgment or conditioning.  They only do what feels natural to them.

And herein lies one of their most beautiful gifts to us.

When faced with a threat they contract and protect themselves; afterwards, they expand and return to their native physical expression and presence.


Our problem may be that we also contract when we perceive a threat but then choose to STAY IN CONTRACTION...never allowing the healing of
expansion to occur because we refuse to fully experience our feelings.
 

Raphael Cushnir
has written extensively on this critical subject.  A few days ago I finished reading his book, The One Thing Holding You Back.

I found it mesmerizing...powerful.   

It was easy to understand what he was saying and to see the steps he outlined for mastering the full expression of our feelings.  

Simple...but very, very challenging...because our lives are full of obstacles to this free, full expression of feelings (possibly because it is one of the greatest barriers we face in earth school).

And the price tag for staying contracted (in fear, judgment, anger, anxiety, resentment, etc.) is a deterioration of our health and well-being.
 

Like all of God's creatures we are exquisitely designed to experience...and that means experience fully...bravely and boldly.   Cushnir instructs us:  "You don 't just feel the moment but lean into it, let it ROAR right through you, and meet it with equal intensity."

Truly not for the faint of heart.  But the cost of shutting down...of staying in contraction,  Cushnir says, is becoming  "unavailable to love".
 

And so I pose this question to you:


If you wish to live your life filled with love, can you open yourself courageously to a FULL EXPRESSION OF YOUR FEELINGS...accepting and embracing them without judgment...thereby inviting the inevitable and highly treasured EXPANSION that leads to LOVE?



image from grandmaideas.com

Monday, June 11, 2012

The PASSION of Indiana Jones



Don't audit life.  
Show up and make the most of it.   
                                          Regina Brett


There is a very interesting choice often available to students in the college curriculum and that choice is to take the option of AUDITING a course.
 
When you audit a course, you get to sit in on classes as you desire and at your convenience and hear the instruction of the teacher but you are NOT required to complete any assignments or take any tests.  In other words, it's a laid back, easy-as-you-go arrangement.

And this option has its merits.  You can observe from the sidelines from a position which demands VERY LITTLE ENERGY from you.
 

And while this academic option can offer you a selective glimpse of some new information which is of interest to you in college, choosing this option as THE primary way  to navigate earth school may not be the wisest choice as a method of transit for the adventures of your life.

If you elect to audit LIFE watching from the sidelines you will sidestep the amazing opportunities available for your growth. 
 

No.  I'm thinking more  the PASSION of Indiana Jones...ready, alert and chomping at the bit to taste and see and feel what is out there...to fully experience what presents itself to you in the form of questions, challenges and obstacles to overcome.

There's no auditing here.  There's anticipation, desire,  excitement, energy.
 
Every moment is full...teeming with possibility and wonderful new skills to acquire, new lessons to learn.
 

FULLY engaging with Life takes strenuous energy.  It requires paying attention, taking notes, and testing yourself but it rewards you with a continuing evolution...creative reinvention with constant progression to the Next, Grandest Version of WHO YOU REALLY  ARE.

And the enormous payoff is this:   

You are making ALL the moments of your life count as you open your heart to every experience to see what it holds for you...to find the gift that is waiting.  

When you do this, you are not merely auditing...sort of paying attention...once in a while...when you are in the mood.  You are not splitting your focus.  You are NOT multi-tasking.

You are Present...Aware...Listening...Engaged...and  Responding...
Fully alive...noticing everything...experiencing everything...learning from everything.

Every day holds the promise AND reward of enlightenment...all because you chose to Indiana-Jones-it...show up, dig in and DEAL.



image from  guardian.co.uk

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Safe in the Net

 


When acrobats and trapeze artists leap into the air they are protected by a STRONG, RESILIENT and VERY LARGE NET waiting to catch them, if needed, in an affectionate, all encompassing, welcoming  embrace.




We, too, have a net protecting us through the possible mishaps of our earth adventures.
This super strong, ever supportive, always available protector is The Divine Matrix


It is a symbol of unconditional caring.  It supports us unquestioningly on our journey.  It is always looking to help us move to a position of even greater strength and power. 
 

And it functions through quantum energy magically weaving its way in, through and around  everything...taking care of All That Is



..protecting each and every one of us who is so brave as to temporarily forget our Divine nature, to forget Who We Really Are and, through our intention to experience duality, take on the confusion and distress of life in earth school.
 

And here is the most significant thing about The Matrix.  


Where we possess the awareness of our limited experience..bounded by the parameters bordering OUR life, The Matrix has the awareness of All That Is and provides for The Greatest Good for EVERYONE.

We no longer need to worry that the decisions we make are the best for all concerned or even for ourselves.  The Matrix knows the most creative and successful path and WE are a part of the Matrix.



When our consciousness is attached to earth school we cannot access universal knowledge but  The Matrix does it for us.  

All that we need do is observe and accept Life Unfolding in The Matrix for this exquisitely wise and beautiful process presents us - and everyone - with the exact thing we need (be it a challenge or opportunity) to help propel us forward in our quest to learn the lessons we have chosen for ourselves.

The Matrix is our net...a quantum, universal inter"NET" and we are always and truly  safe there.



 
image from aflockofpixels.blogspot.com


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Bringing Joy to the LIGHT



 

"Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted."
                                                                                                         ~Buddha~

 


Look what lands so effortlessly and beautifully on the list of simple 
(and transformative) pleasures...GIVING!

 

This pleasure is transformative because of what it does for the giver..and, of course, for the recipient of the gift.
 

The SIMPLE ACT OF WANTING TO GIVE tells us several things about what is happening within our heart.  


It tells us that we are feeling happy and that we want to generously extend that happiness by sharing it with another.

And it tells us that we are emotionally connected to someone and that we care about their happiness and well-being.

 

The act of giving itself moves the impulse into action and we intuitively feel the JOY and PEACE of extending our happiness.

 
When we generously give a gift, we raise our
VIBRATION...and the VIBRATION of the recipient who feels the beautiful energy of our caring.

 

I have also found that GIFT GIVING can perform a very practical and HEALING role for us.  

 
Whenever I experience  an unresolved conflict with someone, I make an effort to give that person a gift (a compliment, an affirmation, beautiful listening, perhaps an actual present ).   

My intention when I do this is always to remind myself of the BLESSING of the relationship that lies under the conflict.  

And it never fails to perform this task successfully.  

The very act of gift giving under the condition of disharmony somehow changes THE CHEMISTRY OF THE MOMENT. 

Both parties see each other in a new (or perhaps it is a "remembered"  light) and can now imagine a peaceful path between the two opposing views.
 

I love knowing that my ritual of gift giving can help me navigate the dissonance in a relationship and help return me to harmony with such ease and grace.


The happiness and joy we find in life always reaches higher dimensions when we unconditionally choose to give a gift...and  the gift we give to others is always a special blessing to ourselves.








 
Unresolved CONFLICT sometimes masks the Beautiful Bond I have with another.  I bring this Joy to the LIGHT and watch the issue fade away.  

                                                 Mystic Marks: Bookmarks for the Soul







image from rgbstock.com.   

Saturday, June 2, 2012

You in Wonderland!








Do you trust yourself and believe you can create what you want

Make a list of the things in your life that you are doing well and that you feel good about. Anchor that feeling to what you want.

Kathleen Martin




Looking to go to a new place on the list of things you do fabulously well? 

Kathleen Martin has a great idea. 
  
Tap into the amazing energy you have already generated from one of your most stellar accomplishments.
 
Perhaps you are already a gourmet cook or world traveler.  Perhaps you've mastered the art of origami or you can solve computer problems by thinking through the issues.  Maybe you can repair any household item that's been disabled.  Or you could qualify as a contender in Dancing With The Stars.


MMMMMmmmmm.  Just thinking about something you already do well makes you smile.  Good work...relax into that empowering emotion.

Now,  take those beautiful vibrations...that delightful cloud of satisfaction...that golden beam of accomplishment and aim them in the direction of the new task you want to accomplish or skill
you want to perfect.

 

Vibrational levels attract each other.  if you can hold your vibrational level high and steady you can transfer that beautiful energy to the new wish on your to-do or to-be list.
  And, if you want to intensify the effect, draw in ALL of the a-ma-zing feelings you have regarding ALL of the things you do well and you will have created the perfect environment for this new skill to take hold.

You have now assembled AN ENERGY SOURCE to work with in acquiring your new desire.

 

And here's the next step.

Spiritual writer Sanaya Roman recommends that you IMAGINE a grid work of light around your head, connecting upward to the Universal Mind.  The higher
the grid work extends, the more beautiful and delicate it becomes.

Now, take the beautiful energy you have built from your past successes and use it to create your new desire through the grid.

 
Use your imagination to visualize the concept.  


Roman recommends considering what this energy would look like…how it would move…its rhythm…its dance…its musicality…its nuances…its strength…its power...its beauty…its texture…its appeal to your senses. 

Then make the energy vision even more flowing, open and harmonious, adding sounds and fragrance, picturing the unmanifested energy as alive and interacting with you.   Luxuriate in this vision and bathe in its magic.


Now you are ready to bring this breathtaking energy into form.
Transform the vision into subatomic particles of light, with as high a vibration as possible. See the particles becoming form and bring them together into a shape and mass. 


Then  open your heart to receive this very personal energy you have designed from your desire.  Greet it with LOVE, letting it next move into your DNA, then your cells and then, finally, into your emotions and mind.
 

Give thanks for this gift and make a place for it in your life.  Now you are ready to recognize and receive it when it appears. You feel the CONNECTION to it.  It is becoming part of you.

 

Sanaya Roman says the Universal Mind is perfection.  It perfectly creates what you think about.

And here you have thought about and imagined something new you wish to bring into your life.  You have enveloped this desire within the magic of your earlier  accomplishments, raising its vibration, utilizing light and energy and moving through the beautiful ambiance of sensory expression.  Finally, you have transformed the energy into form and opened your heart to receive its manifestation.

 

By reflecting on the power and beauty that is already  in your life and by focusing that energy into manifestation through the quantum field you have become  the source of inspiration and creation for yourself.

 
You are a part of the Divine Universe and all of its power already resides in you.  Make a wish with the awesome energy of your beautiful, open heart!





image from aliceinwonderland.wikia.com